（By Han Jingyan | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2025-10-18）’Different strokes for different folks” applies as much to dining as to anything else. Food preferences are not just about flavors; they are also about where the ingredients come from, how they are processed, and what cooking methods are used. Which of these details should be disclosed to consumers is not only a marketing decision for many restaurants but also a regulatory question. Left unchecked, incomplete or misleading information could spark disputes, damage trust and even raise food safety concerns.
“不同人的不同口味” 适用于就餐和其他任何事情。食物偏好不仅关乎味道，还关乎食材的来源、加工方式以及烹饪方法。应该向消费者披露哪些细节，不仅是许多餐厅的营销决策，也是一个监管问题。未经核实、不完整或误导性的信息可能会引发争议，损害信任，甚至引发食品安全方面的担忧。
The controversy over “pre-made” dishes in China shows just how divisive this issue has become. Some diners welcome convenience, while others reject the lack of wok hei (the smoky freshness of stir-fry). Yet whichever side people are on, one thing is clear: they prefer to be kept “well-informed”.
中国关于 “预制” 菜肴的争议表明，这个问题已经变得多么具有分歧性。一些用餐者欢迎便利，而另一些人则反对缺乏炒菜 (炒菜的烟熏新鲜感)。然而，无论人们站在哪一边，有一件事是清楚的：他们更希望被 “了解情况”。
However, there is a sharp perception gap between what consumers seek and what restaurant operators offer. Equally important, legislation on food product labeling has not kept pace with the fast-paced changes in the food and agricultural industries; there isn’t even a consensus on what exactly counts as a pre-made dish.
然而，消费者所寻求的与餐厅经营者所提供的之间存在着明显的认知差距。同样重要的是，食品产品标签的立法并没有跟上食品和农业行业快速变化的步伐；甚至对于什么才算是预制菜肴，也没有达成共识。
The rising sales of premade dishes in China can be attributed to the rapid industrialization of the dining sector. To meet the demand for speedy service, and a wide variety and scale of dishes, restaurants nowadays increasingly rely on semi-finished dishes sourced from their “central kitchens”. These dishes are stored, shipped and reheated in branch outlets. The same model powers meal delivery platforms, where standardized packs dominate. Frozen and/or shelf-stable pre-prepared meals have entered households across the country.
中国预制菜肴销量的增长可以归因于餐饮业的快速工业化。为了满足快速服务的需求，以及菜肴的广泛种类和规模，如今的餐厅越来越依赖来自其 “中央厨房” 的半成品菜肴。这些菜肴在分店储存、运输和重新加热。同样的模式为餐食配送平台提供支持，其中标准化包装占主导地位。冷冻和 / 或可放在架子上的预制餐已经进入全国各地的家庭。
But despite the growing efficiency of the industry, consumer concerns have increased. In practice, restaurateurs tend not to see their offerings as pre-made. But consumers often do, because they focus on how the food is sourced and prepared.
然而，尽管餐饮业的效率不断提高，消费者的担忧却在增加。在实践中，餐厅经营者往往不认为他们的产品是预制的。但消费者往往会这样认为，因为他们关注的是食物的来源和准备方式。
This clash of perspectives matters. A dish that comes out of the kitchen is a “restaurant meal”, regardless of whether its sauce was mixed and packaged in a factory. Yet outsourcing preparatory work changes the essence of the meal. It affects price, freshness, and even the cultural meaning of a dish. Globally, food law has increasingly tilted toward this process-oriented approach, demanding transparency in areas from irradiated and genetically modified foods to organic labels.
这种观点的冲突至关重要。一道从厨房端出的菜肴就是 “餐厅套餐”, 无论其酱料是否在工厂中混合和包装。然而，外包准备工作改变了菜肴的本质。它影响了价格、新鲜度，甚至影响了菜肴的文化意义。在全球范围内，食品法越来越倾向于这种以过程为导向的方法，要求从辐射和转基因食品到有机标签等领域的透明度。
How, then, should pre-made dishes be regulated? The answer depends on whether we treat them as a product or a process. If they are treated as products, legislators could adopt a “menu-style” approach while drafting regulations, and setting specific rules for each type of pre-made dish. But given the diversity of Chinese cuisine, it would be impractical and stifling. Instead, broad rules on additives, hygiene and labeling, already applied to packaged foods, would be more realistic.
那么，预制菜应该如何监管呢？答案取决于我们是将其视为产品还是过程。如果将其视为产品，立法者在起草法规时可以采用 “菜单式” 的方法，并为每种类型的预制菜制定具体规则。但考虑到中国料理的多样性，这将是不切实际且令人窒息的。相反，已经应用于包装食品的关于添加剂、卫生和标签的广泛规则将会更加现实。
If the focus is on the process, consumers would want to know whether the dishes they ordered were made from scratch or prepared industrially, not because one is inherently safer, but because it reflects values such as sustainability, tradition, taste and price sensitivity. And process transparency allows consumers to make meaningful choices, much like organic or fair-trade labels do.
如果重点放在过程上，消费者会想知道他们点的菜是从零开始制作的还是工业化准备的，这并不是因为一个菜本质上更安全，而是因为它反映了可持续发展、传统、口味和价格敏感性等价值观。过程透明度使消费者能够做出有意义的选择，就像有机或公平贸易标签所做的那样。
Both approaches have to follow a common principle: the labels must not be misleading. The government recognizes the importance of pre-made food as an industry. The 2023 “No. 1 central document” explicitly encouraged its growth, and the government is working to set national standards. With the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) to be implemented next year, some local governments, too, are building industrial bases to boost the production of pre-made dishes. For policymakers, the challenge is to nurture this economic opportunity while safeguarding consumer trust.
这两种方法都必须遵循一个共同原则：标签不能有误导性。政府认识到预制食品作为一个行业的重要性。2023 年的 “第一号中央文件” 明确鼓励了预制食品的增长，政府正在努力制定国家标准。随着第十五个五年计划 (2026-2030) 将于明年实施，一些地方政府也正在建立产业基础，以促进预制食品的生产。对于政策制定者来说，挑战在于培育这种经济机遇，同时维护消费者信任。
To do that, however, the companies need to adhere to the principle of transparency. Voluntary labeling by businesses can help even niche consumer groups, which have higher expectations, make informed choices, and could even allow restaurants to position themselves as different from others.
然而，要做到这一点，企业需要坚持透明度原则。企业自愿贴标签甚至可以帮助细分消费群体，这些群体有更高的期望，做出明智的选择，甚至可以让餐厅将自己定位为与众不同的。
But bridging the gap between public perception and professional definition requires more than just rules. It calls for sustained communication about what is pre-made food and what is not. Done right, regulations can ensure consumer choice and trust, industrial innovation and cultural confidence all grow together.
但是，弥合公众认知和专业定义之间的鸿沟，需要的不仅仅是规则。它需要持续沟通哪些食品是预制食品，哪些不是。如果做得恰当，法规可以确保消费者的选择和信任、产业创新和文化信心同时增长。
The author is a researcher at the Center for Coordination and Innovation of Food Safety Governance, Renmin University of China.
本文作者是中国人民大学食品安全治理协调与创新中心的研究员。